When a wireless consumption meter is being tested and/or calibrated, the amount of data transmitted from the consumption meter is typically much larger than the amount transmitted during normal operation. Apart from potential problems with regulatory requirements restricting such transmissions with respect to how often and how much may be transmitted in terms of duty cycle, effect, etc., the increased amount of data to be transmitted also severely reduces the expected lifetime of the battery supplying the consumption meter, as data transmission is one of the most power-consuming functions of most such consumption meters.
Another critical factor in such test and calibration situations is the fact that the loss of just a single data package, which is not at all unlikely when using wireless communication, may cause incorrect calibration of the consumption meter, often without possibility of recognizing that an error has happened.